The Big Chill

    December 23rd, and a very cold front has descended on Indiana, and the rest of the US.  Cathy is in the kitchen, frantically preparing desserts and other Christmas-related items.My dog Gracie is huddled next to me in the sun room trying to keep warm.  The temperature dipped to -8 last night and when I put Gracie out this morning, she had to be rescued from the cold.  She definitely did not like the extreme cold.  I think this cold front is good because it makes us all slow down a little.  I also hope and pray that when we all slow down, we give a thought to what Christmas really means. 

   On a family note, we have some issues going on with the relatives.  These are issues that everyone with aging parents must deal with. I pray very hard during this time, as it takes a lot of Holy Spirit guidance to get through these trying times.  I've also been praying for several family members and friends this season too.  Getting older is not for the faint of heart. My mom once said that when all these family things are happening, she never understood how anyone could get through it all without God.  I totally agree.

  On a personal note, I got a contract to work at Yellowstone again this summer.  I am looking forward to that as I will be there when winter turns to spring.  I miss the mountains every day, but I get messages from my mountain friends, and I probably don't miss the cold.  If I think -8 degrees is tough, they are dealing with -30 degrees and high winds.  That is cold. I also have been watching my South Dakota friends, and I-90 has been closed down for quite some time.  They had a blizzard last week, and the weather has not gotten any better.

  I hope that anyone who reads this will have a merry Christmas.  I also pray that Jesus will be the main focus this season.  It is so easy to get distracted from the real meaning of Christmas. 

My 15 Minutes of Fame

    If you go to the link Tony Kornheiser Podcast Archive and listen to the 11/30/2022 episode entitled "A Hat Full of Hope". Then you will hear an email I sent into Tony Kornheiser.  I got my 15 minutes of fame for sure, but the sad thing is no one in my family or my friends even noticed.  I need to get a better class of friends and family.  :)

Yellowstone 2023 (Lord Willing)

   Today I got my official offer to return to work at Old Faithful Upper General Store in Yellowstone National Park.  I accepted the offer and will get paid $15 an hour, which is a raise of $4 per hour.  They raised the hourly rate trying to get more people interested in working.  The problem is that it is a temporary summer job and there are not too many interested in working for a short period of time, when other places pay more and the work is not temporary.  So most of the employees are retirees or foreign workers.  There are some that are truly temporary workers.  Some call them Nomads, but some I know work at Yellowstone in the summer and work close to Yellowstone in the winter.  The issue is they have no car and no real home.  They have to take a job that will house them. That is why Yellowstone is good for them, as they provide dorm housing. 

   The offer wants me to report April 24th and my last day is July 30th.  I will get to open the store up and see Yellowstone just coming out of winter and into spring.  The rivers will be running high and fast I am sure.  I can't wait.